Electric lighter for incandescent burners.



No. 650,668. Patented May 29; I900.

G. BURKHABDT & W. SCHUBER. ELECTRIC LIGHTER FDR INGANDESCENT BURNERS.-

(Application filed Fab. 8, 1900.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE ITTRKIIARDT AND WILLIAM SCIIUBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC LIGHTER FOR INCANDESCENT BURNERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,668, dated May 29, 1900.

Application filed February 8, 1900. Serial No. 4,532. (No model.)

To all whom it may 0072007 72:

Be it known that we, GUSTAVE BURKI-IARDT and WILLIAM SCI-IUBER, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Lighters for Incandescent Burners, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric lighters for incandescent burners, and it is primarily adapted for use with the improved lVelsbach burner which carries a refractory mantle to be rendered incandescent by a mixture of air and gas. These mantles are quite expensive and being of an extremely-delicate nature are frequently broken and destroyed in lighting the burner. Various devices have been located bet-ween the mantle and the chimney for igniting the gas, but they usually permit the gas to fill the mantle and produce a spark outside thereof to ignite the gas or else provide a by-pass to permit some gas to escape into the space between the mantle and chimney, which is first ignited and then ignites the gas within the mantle. In both cases and whenever the spark is produced outside of the mantle the latter is practically filled with gas before ignition, and the explosion which occurs when this gas is ignited often results in destroying the mantle and even breaking the chimney. These devices are also usually operated by some contrivance connected with the burner and in the manipulation of which the burner and chandelier are frequently shaken to such an extent as to injure the mantle and sometimes disarrange the chimney. Some devices have been located within the burner, so as to ignite the gas therein; but they have always been of such a nature and construction as to result in the production of a back flash which causes the gas to burn at the air-inletin the base of the burner or else they are of such a complicated and unsatisfactory construction as to be practicall y valueless.

It is the object of our invention to overcome all the disadvantages of the electric lighters now in use and to provide a simple and inexpensive electric lighter for incandescent burners which can be operated to ignite the gas within the mantle and above the burner without causing an explosion or otherwise breakingthe mantle and without permitting a back flash of the flame.

Our invention also has other objects in view, which will be fully and clearly pointed out and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a WVelsbach gas-burner embodying our invention, the mantle being partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in both of the figures, A designates the gas supply pipe, to which the improved Bunsen burner B is secured in the usual manner. We do not limit ourselves to this style of burner, but have shown it as illustrating the most improved type in use on the best Welsbach burners, the same comprising a tube having the air-inlets b and an adjustable plate I), operated by a lever 12 for regulating the supply of gas. The burner-tube is surrounded by a cage 0, the lower part c of which incloses and forms an air-chamber around that part of the burner having the air-inlets therein, and a movable plate 0 is provided at the bottom of this chamber to regulate the supply of air.

The upper end of the burner tube fits snugly, but removably, in a tube D, secured in the cage and constituting an extension or prolongation of the burner-tube, being provided with an enlarged upper end to form an expansion-chamber E for the mixed air and gas. This expansion-chamber is provided with a wire-netting top F, carried by a cap G, which is fastened on the enlarged upper end of the tube D. The mantle H and chimney are supported and arranged in the usual manner.

The devices just described form part of the improved Welsbach burner, and we make no claim thereto, nor do we limit the application of the invention to this particular embodiment, as it can also be used with other burners with equivalent results.

It is our object to provide an igniting device above the netting F and within the man= tle to ignite the gas as it passes through the netting and before it accumulates in the mantle or escapes therefrom and without in any way causing an explosion or otherwise breaking the mantle. To accomplish this, we provide an insulator J, of glass or other suitable material and carrying the electrodes P and N. This insulator is substantially in the form of a tube and has the wires embedded therein, so as to be effectually insulated from each other and from the other parts of the burner, and it is preferably curved or bent slightly, as shown, so that its lower end will project through the side of the cage, while its upper end extends through and above the netting F. To retain the insulating-tube in place, we provide a shoulder K thereon to engage the tube D, and at its upper end is a collar L, which supports a deflector M to throw the mixed air and gas outward to the mantle. The insulating-tube preferably extends up through the netting at or about its middle, so that the deflector carried thereby will throw the air and gas outward into direct contact with the mantle as it passes through the netting to the point of combustion. The upper ends 79 n of the wires are separated slightly, so that a spark will be produced when the electric circuit is closed by means of a switch or other suitable device. WVe may produce this spark in any other manner, as by means of a meehanical friction device, and we do not restrict ourselves to the particular manner in which the spark is produced.

The insulating tube is readily and easily arranged in place, and it is small in size, simple in construction, inexpensive to make, and does not in any way interfere with the operation of the other parts of the burner. It may be curved or bent in any other Way to lead the Wires to any point desired; but the upper ends thereof must be located so as to produce a spark above the netting and Within the mantle. Producing the spark at this point constitutes the essential part of our invention regardless of the particular means employed for this end. We do not employ any devices for producing the spark which are apt to shake the burner and chandelier in their manipulation and which might injure the mantle, nor is it possible to create a back flash at the air-inlets Z), because the spark is produced above the netting and not in a Way to injure the mantle. It is preferred that the spark shall be produced just above the center of the netting, so that the air and gas will be ignited substantially centrally of the mantle and not at one side thereof, where it would be apt to injure the mantle. As the spark is produced immediately after the gas is turned on, there is no opportunity for sufficient gas to accumulate within the mantle to make an explosion.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with agas-burner having a cover of netting at its top, of an insulator passing through the burner and extending above the netting, a shoulder on said insulator, a deflector supported on said shoulder beneath the netting, electrodes carried by and projecting through the upper end of said insulator, and means for producing a spark at the ends of the electrodes, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a gas-burner having a cover of netting at its top, of an insulator passing through the burner and having its upper end extending centrally above the netting thereon and its lower end extending through the side of the burner, a collar on the insulator near its top, a deflector supported by said collar beneath the netting, a shoulder on the insulator to engage the side of the burner and hold the insulator in place, electrodes carried by said insulator and means for producing a spark at the ends of the electrodes above the burner, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a gas-burner having a cover of netting at its top, of a continuous insulator made of vitreous material and constructed and arranged with one end thereof extending upwardly and centrally through the netting above the top of the burner, and its other end projecting through the side of the burner, electrodes carried by said insulator, and means for producing a spark at the ends of the electrodes, substantially as described.

GUSTAVE BURKHARDT. WVILLIAM SOHUBER.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. BELT, I. C. KAI-IN. 

